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Jamaican Caving Notes |
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Mar 06, 2003 ROTA CAVE: Field notes: I. C. CONOLLEY Cavers: R. S. Stewart, I. C. Conolley, M. Taylor Be prepared to swim says Stef. Well I suppose we were but as it turned out we didn’t. It’s Thursday, March 6, 2003 and we are going into the watery Rota system. We were here before, last year, when we saw the water flowing from the entrance, the Eastern entrance, and said goodbye, see you in the dry season. Well we kept our promise and are back. The Rota cave is mostly on a river course or is it the river course that is mostly the cave? Whichever. In this case they almost mean the same. We are thigh deep in water as we enter the Western entrance. We are going in the direction of the flow. The water is not getting deeper and the cave is massive. There are boulders on both sides of the river. In other words we have a rocky river bank, so we walk as much as possible on the "river bank", but at times do have to step into the water. The cave is outstanding. Stef is looking down in the water. Is that a Crayfish? It’s a shrimp, says Malibu. I am looking but still have not seen it. Yes, there it is, almost a shadow in the water. You see the eyes? says Stefan, they are glowing. Malibu sees it too. Again I am the odd man out but this time cannot fall in line. I am at the wrong angle. They move on. What glow? Too many lights. I think it must have shifted position. But a crayfish in this cave. Amazing. It’s like the fish in the Roach Cave on the other side of Cup and Saucer Cave. It is an interesting and wet walk but not a long one and we retrace our steps and explore further. There are numerous passageways in the cave. Yes, you can get lost but nothing like Marta Tick. Marta Tick is the cave to get lost in - there you use flagging tape like it’s going out of style. I am way behind now but hear them talking in the distance. Then I don’t hear them anymore for a while, and then pick up the voices again at a junction. I hang a left and figure they had stopped, for suddenly they are only feet away from me. Where did I come from? They want to know. For they are supposed to be way ahead of me. Well as it turned out they did not stop but I had, by following their voices, taken a short cut. A few more meters and we are once again in the main stream or should I say main river - back out at the western entrance. So much for this cave and now on to Rota Sink. |
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